10 September 2019
Through the initiative of APCEIU and UNESCO Bangkok, the Asia-Pacific Regional GCED Network (APA GCED Network) Partners Updates Meeting was held 5 September 2019 at the APCEIU Building, Seoul, Republic of Korea. The participants in the Asia-Pacific Regional GCED Network Meeting: Solidifying Regional Action for GCED, which convened in May 2018 in Jakarta, were invited to share the progress made in the four action areas outlined in the Network’s Action Plan discussed last year: policy, capacity building, learning materials, research, and advocacy.
The Director of APCEIU, Dr. Hyun Mook Lim, spearheaded the meeting in partnership with APCEIU and UNESCO Bangkok Office.
Philippine National Commission for UNESCO (PH NatCom) Deputy Executive Director Lindsay Barrientos led the Philippine delegation in updating the network on development in the country relative to promotion and mainstreaming GCED. Together with Programme Officer for Education, Mr. Rex Ubac Jr., Philippine National University (PNU) Officials, VP Bert Tuga and Dr. Serafin Arviola Jr., the following were shared with the network:
GCED Roadshow. PH NatCom and the PNU, in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd), organized the Seminar-Workshop for School Heads and Teachers on Whole School Approach to GCED. This event is one of the components of the project entitled: “Promoting Global Citizenship Education in Philippine Basic Education Schools” which was supported by the UNESCO Asia Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok) and the Asia-Pacific Centre for Education and International Understanding (APCEIU). The seminar workshop was held in three strategic provinces in the Philippines: in Clark, Pampanga happened on 23-25 May 2019, Mindanao happened on 6-8 June 2019 and in Bacolod, Negros Occidental conducted on 13-15 June 2019. A total of 90 school heads and teachers were able to develop a clear and deeper understanding of GCED that guided them to formulate programs that will transform their respective schools into GCED schools.
Module Development. PH NatCom and the Philippine Normal University (PNU), in cooperation with the DepEd and with support from UNESCO Bangkok and the APCEIU has implemented the Workshops on the Development of Module Exemplars in GCED. This is another component of the project entitled “Promoting Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in Philippine Basic Education Schools. The First Workshop was held on May 8-10, 2019 at the Bay Leaf Hotel, Manila and the Second and Final Workshop was held on 26-28 June 2019 at the Bayview Hotel. The workshops aimed to provide teachers relevant, structured and accessible materials which they can use in teaching and in integrating GCED concepts and principles in the classrooms across subjects. The modules represent the three (3) learning dimensions of GCED namely, cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioral dimension. A total of nine (9) modules with one (1) to two (2) lessons for each modules applied in the local context were developed, which will be more appropriate for both Filipino students and teachers.
For PH NatCom, this Network Meeting has been useful especially in exploring possible partnerships for GCED as well as in determining how to align efforts and initiatives in the Philippines with the networks projects, activities and goals.
